Storm-top for vehicles.



l PATENTED MAY 26, 1908. T. A.WELSHANS.

STORM TOP PoR VEHIGLES.- r

y APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1907.

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, v ATTORNEY.

ru: NoRms PETERS co., wAsmNamN o c v A13 ATLNTEDMAY 26, 190s. T. A.WELSHANS. STORM TOP POR. VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 30, 1907.

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THOMAS A. WELSHANS, OF MONTEZUMA, INDIANA.

STORM-TOP FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'May 26,- 1908.

Application filed March 30, 1907. Serial No. 365,571.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. WELSH- ANs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Montezuma, in the county of Parke and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in aStorm-Top for Vehicles; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this s ecification.

This invention. re ates to vehicle tops of the class that may be usedduring rain storms `and which may be removed from the vehicle bodiesduring fair weather, the invention having reference more particularly tostorm tops having side doors and especially side doors that are adaptedfor such vehicles as have bodies arranged relatively low on the runninggear with relatively high wheels.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved storm top of theabove-inentioned character in which the occupant of the vehicle may becompletely housed and protected from the elements g to provide a stormtop that will be adapted to be readily removed from the vehicle, afurther object being to provide an improved storm door for storm topsadapted to open out over the wheels and fold against the side of thevehicle, there being minor objects which will become apparent from thefollowing description.

With the above-mentioned and minor objects in view, ther inventionconsists in a storm top having various novel features of constructionwhich will be hereinafter described in detail and provided with sidedoors of novel construction, each door having a folding portion providedwith means whereby when the door is opened the folding portion willautomatically rise clear of the adjacent wheel of the vehicle; and theinvention consists further in thev novel parts and the combinations .andarrangements of parts as hereinafter particularly described and referredto in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvedstorm top mounted on abodyl of a road vehicle, thel wheels and runninggear of which are indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 2, a perspective viewof the vehicle body and the storm top showing one of the side doorspartially open; Fig. 3, a diiferent perspective view of the body andstorm top showing the side door fully open and latched against the stormtop with the folding portion drawn up sufficiently high that it mayclear the rear wheel of the vehicle; Fig. 4, a transverse sectional viewof the storm top and vehicle body in a vertical plane corresponding tothe rear side of the dash-board; Fig. 5, a horizontal sectional view ofthe storm top approximately at the middle thereof with one doorpartially open; Fig. 6, a fragmentary elevation showing the interior ofthe body and the righthand side door without its covering; Fig. 7, anelevation of the forward edge of the door; Fig. 8, an elevation of therearward edge of the door; Fig. 9, a view of the door with the foldingportion thereof turned over against the main portion of the door; andFig. 10, a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the storm topshowing one of the latches for holding the side doors open against theside of the storm top.

In the various figures of the drawings similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts or features.

In Fig. 4 the seat cushion is omitted.; in

Fig. 5, both seat and back cushions are omit- Y ted.

The storm to may be adapted for various shapes of vehic e bodies but 1sshown for the purpose of illustration on one style of body only, adesignating the vehicle body 3 b the seat having inclined sides c and c/on which is suitably mounted a shifting frame com rising two side railsd and d and a rear rai attached to the side rails, the shifting framebeing suitably connected so as to be removable from the seat. Door postse and c are attached to the shifting frame at the forward portionsthereof, and corner posts f and f are attached to the rearward cornersof the shifting frame, there being a roof g attached to the tops of theposts, the roof having side rails g. Suitable covering is connected tothe posts, and the roof is composed of suitable framing and coveringmaterials, the roof extending forward of the door posts so as to extendbeyond the plane of the vehicle body, and a storm front h is mounted onthe front of the body and extends up to the roof, being suitablyconnected thereto. On account of the flaring sides of the seat, thestorm top is broader than the vehicle body, and the front h is of thesame width as the main portion of the top from the roof down to thelevel of the top of the seat sides, the lower portion of the front hhaving inclined sides h so that the lower extremity of the front is ofthe same width as the relatively narrow body of the vehicle. The front his provided with a swinging window h2.

The open spaces between the door posts of the top and the front h arenormally closed by doors t and i', each door being connected to a doorpost by hinges j and j. Each door has an inwardly inclined portion 7c atthe lower portion of the main part thereof, the lower end 7c of the mainpart being a joint edge which is inclined to the horizontal so that theforward edge of the main portion of the door is shorter than therearward or hinged edge. The folding part of each door comprises a mainpart Z which has an inwardly inclined-portion mcorresponding to theinclination of the inclined sides h of the storm front and theinclination of the sides c and c of the seat. The main portion Z hasajoint edge m which is inclined to the horizontal so as to correspond tothe joint edge c, the two joint edges being connected toether by hingeso and o arranged so that the olding part of the door may turn inwardlybut not outwardly, and allowed to be carried or swung upwardly towardthe inner surface of the door, as presently disclosed and therefore willbe normally held in to close the doorway when the door is in closedposition. Suitable straps or cords forming links p and p are attached tothe rearward portions of the folding parts .of the doors, one to eachdoor and each strap or cord has an end thereof attached to any suitablepart of the seat or, as shown, to the inner side of the rail d or d sothat when the door opens the links will limit the movement of thefolding part of the door and cause it to be drawn upwardly and inwardlyinto elevated position toward the inner side of the main door sectionout of the way of the vehicle wheel while the main part of the doorcontinues to swing open and back against the side of the storm top asindicated in the several figures of the drawings. The joint edges lc andm are not necessarily inclined as shown, but may be constructed so as tobe approximately horizontal, and whereby the movementof the door will befacilitated by such elevation of said foldable door section when closingthe door.

Suitable latches g and g are mounted in the rails g and g of the roofpreferably on pivots r, each latch having a handle 1" for its actuation,there being an opening s through which the latch extends, the latchbeing pressed by a suitable spring t so that when a door is thrown openagainst the top -it will automatically latch.

In practical use the doors may be latched as usual when closed, and whenopen and released from the holding latches the doors will automaticallyclose by gravity induced by the upheld folding parts of the doors andthe connecting links p and p which tend to pull the doors toward theirclosed positions. The hinged window h2 and either door may be openedunder favorable conditions for the purposes of ventilation.

Having thus described the invention, what is-claimed as new isl. ln astorm top for vehicles, the combination with door posts and side rails,of a door formed of upper and lower hinged together sections adapted toswing back into position against the side portion of said top, and acord, strap or the like forming a flexible means of connection betweenthe lower door section and a fixed point, the point of attachment forsaid connecting means to one of said door sections being effected uponits inner side, near the bottom rear edge thereof, said connecting meansextending diagonally upwardly and transversely of the hinging jointbetween the two door sections.

2. ln a storni top for vehicles, the combination with door posts andside rails, of a door formed of upper and lower hinged togethersections, arranged to swing back in position against the side portion ofsaid top, and cords, straps or the like forming flexible linkconnections between the lower door section and a fixed point, the pointof attachment of said link connections to said door being effected uponits'inner side, near the bottom rear edge thereof, said connecting Ymeans extending diagonally upwardly transversely of the hinging ointbetween the two door sections.

3. ln a storm top for vehicles, the combination with door posts and siderails, of a door formed of upper and lower hinged together sectionsadapted to swing back into position against the side portion of saidtop, flexible means of connection between the lower door section and afixed point, and means releasable from the interior of the vehicle tohold said door folded back against the side portion of said top.

ln testimony whereof, l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses,on the 20th day of March, 1907.

THOMAS A. VELSHANS.

Witnesses:

JOHN S. HoUcHIN, JAMES M. BLUE,

